Volkswagen e-Golf offers more range, power than e-Up!

The Golf goes electric.

Most Read

So, the e-Up! sounds like a pretty good ride, but it's a little small for your tastes. No big deal. Volkswagen also brought the e-Golf to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Like it's smaller sibling, the hatchback we all know and love boasts an electric motor in place of an internal combustion mill. The powerplant delivers 115 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque, and can push the e-Golf to 62 mph in just over 10 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 87 mph.

And what about range? Volkswagen says the e-Golf is good for around 118 miles of pure-electric travel thanks to its larger 24.2 kWh battery, and direct-current charging stations can fill the cells to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes.

Volkswagen will begin taking orders for the e-Up! and the e-Golf during the Frankfurt Motor Show, with deliveries arriving shortly thereafter. Unlike the e-Up!, the e-Golf will be available to US buyers in the near future, but there's no word on price at the moment. Volkswagen says it will roll out the machine in select markets, like California, first. Since building the EV is as simple as dropping an electric powertrain in a standard Golf shell, the company is plenty flexible when it comes to tailoring volume. Should the e-Golf take off in its introductory markets, Volkswagen can easily meet demand as needed.